Matches
by pitaC89
Summary: Fourteen years after Armada. Energon never happened. The Autobots yearly visit turns out a little more exciting with the return of an old friend. RadxAlexis
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

AN: Inspired by "Matches" sung by Sammy Kershaw.

Chapter 1

The midday sun shone through the window on an empty room. A room that not long ago held all the furnishings of the bedroom of a husband and wife. There were indentations it the light blue carpet where the bed had stood the day before. The full-length mirror he'd bought her for their last anniversary was completely shattered on the floor. The pink and red roses he'd give her as a surprise the week before had been torn apart the petals strewn about.

In the corner sat the husband, a handsome man in his late twenties with sandy hair and ocean eyes. He hadn't moved since he came home the night before to find his wife gone and a note on the table in the entrance hall.

She'd left him for some guy she worked with. She said she hoped he'd understand and would be all right. She'd be in touch to discuss her half of the money from the house since it was so large it really wasn't practical for him to stay there by himself. Maybe she could give him a little money and he'd sign it all over to her and her new love so they could raise the baby the were going to have with together.

The man laughed suddenly, like his wife leaving him was a complete joke. He picked up the note and read the part about the house again.

"Hell if she's getting a cent of this house," the man said calmly, lighting the note on fire and then dropping it on the carpet.

* * *

Six Months Later…

"Things never change around here do they?" Scavenger asked surveying the base. It was exactly the same as it had been the year before and every year since the war ended. Since things had been quiet since Megatron vanished inside of Unicron, Optimus had authorized a yearly trip to earth.

"That is what we like about this place," Hot Shot said, coming to stand next to him.

"Should we wait till we're settled in before we call the kids or call them now?" Sideswipe asked, excited about seeing their old friends.

"We don't exactly need to clean house for them. They've seen this place with a couple million years of disrepair," Red Alert commented.

"I'll go drop by and pick them up," Hot Shot offered. He wanted to see his old friends, well at least Carlos and Alexis. Rad hadn't been around for a while. He'd gone away to college when he was eighteen, then got married to some college girl when he was twenty-three. His wife didn't like him traveling alone and refused to come to High Desert because it's was so far away from their home in Los Angeles. So the last time they saw Rad had been at the wedding, and even then it was rushed. They got the impression that Verda, Rad's wife, didn't like them so much.

"Sure… just call first this time," Red Alert advised. One of Carlos' girlfriend's had nearly had a heart attack when Hot Shot rolled up and transformed right in Carlos' drive way at five in the morning. Why she'd been up that early none of them could figure out.

"Sure," Hot Shot chuckled at the memory of the screaming brunette.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Carlos muttered to himself as he dug around in his junk drawer. "Where in _el nombre de dios_ are my sunglasses?" he asked no one in particular. He slammed the drawer shut and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh," he said, finding them sitting on top of his head.

"Now where's my wallet?" he wondered surveying the mess that was his bedroom. Shifting, he called over his shoulder "Yo, _hermano_! Have you seen my wallet?"

"Try on the dryer. It nearly took a trip through the wash. You're damn lucky I checked the pockets before tossing your jeans in the washer," the reply came from the kitchen.

In the bedroom Carlos rolled his eyes. If he'd wanted to be nagged to pick up his dirty socks and to empty out his pockets before tossing his clothes in the dirty clothes hamper—which he hated doing-- he'd have stayed living at home… or just gotten married.

Heading down the hall he stopped at the door to the six by four room that house his third hand washer and dryer. Sure enough he found his wallet sitting on the dryer along with a couple twenties and his little black book. "Thank you _hermano,_" he said grabbing his wallet and the twenties. As a rule his little black book didn't leave the house since a disastrous incident involving the bridesmaid and maid of honor at Rad's wedding. Luckily Rad and his bitchy wife had already left on their honeymoon by the time the catfight started.

"Rad, what's for breakfast?" He asked heading into the kitchen.

"I made scrambled eggs and sausage," Rad answered.

Carlos took in the spread on the table. Sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits with molasses. Whatever Verda had been thinking with when she left Rad, it definatly hadn't been with her stomach. His _hermano_ could cook. And do dishes, the laundry, go grocery shopping, and just about any other chores that could be found around Carlos' one bedroom, thousand sqaure foot house. And he still worked a full week.

Six months ago, when his old friend had showed up on his door step asking for a place to stay until he got his back on his feet, Carlos had been slightly concerned about the soot covering Rad's clothes and face. But hearing Rad's story he understood... well most of it anyway.

Rad had wasted no time getting a job with the Cosmo Scope Rescearch Center, and then setting up an account with the local bank.

Carlos was surprised at how well Rad was taking his and Verda's divorce. Though he really hadn't expected any less from his friend. Rad had always been strong. Everything life had thrown at them as kids seem to just roll off of Rad like it was nothing. What was the end of a three year marriage to a guy who'd lived through the Transformers war when he was twelve?

More than Rad was letting on, Carlos was sure.

* * *

"Oww!" Alexis put her finger in her mouth after burning in on the hot griddle. All she'd been trying to do was make herself some breakfast. But no, she had to charcoal it and then burn her finger. Just great.

Admittedly her mind hadn't exactly been on the meal. Rather it was on other things. Like how she just broke up with her most recent boyfriend because he was quite frankly a jerk. Bastard. She really needed to stop dating guys from the independent computer company she worked for. They all seemed to turn out lacking... every guy did. She doubted any would ever meet the high standards she kept.

Only one man had met them, but she'd let him slip through her fingers.

Oh well. Off to Mcdonalds for a Mcgriddle and hash brown.

AN:this is just something that hit me a few weeks ago and wouldn't let me go. i know it sucks. R&R


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing…though it would be kind of nice to own Sideswipe and Blurr…

AN: God there are so many gay moments in this chap it ain't funny. Don't worry, this is strictly RadAlexis. Carlos and Rad are just goofing off, they are both straight as a board. Sorry for all the Mary-sueish names mentioned. I promise they won't amount to anything. Except maybe Verda. But trust me she'll get what she deserves MWUAHAHAHAHA!

Chapter 2

"So, Hot Shot's dropping by to pick us up in a few minutes," Carlos said, rubbing his very full, very satisfied stomach.

Rad, who had been washing their breakfast plates, froze. "What do you mean 'us'?" he asked.

"Us. You and me, us," Carlos said.

"You told him I'm here?" Rad asked, now scrubbing the spatula with more force than necessary.

In fact Carlos hadn't. He really wanted to see the looks of surprise on the guys' faces when Rad came strolling through the door. But he wasn't about to tell Rad that. He'd use it as an excuse to stay home. "Yup."

"Carlos, I don't have time for this. I still have to add three layers to the GIS map of Fire Ridge Valley. Then I have to do a couple loads of laundry, swing by Murphy's for some groceries, and then I have to clean the bathroom," Rad ticked off his list of chores for the day.

"_Si_ _mi esposa_, while you're at it why don't you pick up _los_ _niños_ from school. Carlito has a cold and little Radina is starting to sniffle," Carlos said, exaggerating his accent to the point he sounded like Ricky Ricardo "Bro, you are my best friend, not my wife. You don't have to run errands and all that other domestic stuff," Carlos sighed. Verda really had done a number on Rad if he was working this hard to redeem himself for whatever fault he seemed to think Verda had found in him. Sometimes he really hated his _prima_ for what she did to his _hermaño. _Verda might be blood, but Rad meant a hell of a lot more to him than that whore ever would.

"I'm just trying to earn my keep, bro," Rad said, reaching for the drying cloth. Carlos grabbed the cloth before Rad could.

"_Hermaño_, you pay rent, you don't need to earn your keep."

"I barely pay a hundred a month. Anywhere else the rent would be closer to a thousand," Rad insisted.

"Anywhere else you'd have your own bed. You sleep my couch!"

"It's a fold out and very comfortable," Rad protested, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"It's the couch from hell. I slept on it for a month before I bought my bed. That was four years ago and I still have to go to the chiropractor," Carlos complained.

"Sure. Your trips to the chiropractor are all about what the monster couch did to your back, not that pretty Italian doctor, Melita Giovanni," Rad said as he rolled his eyes, before grabbing the drying cloth and starting to dry their breakfast dishes.

"Maybe it has a little bit to do Melita," Carlos admitted, picturing his pretty little doctor in a bikini. "But that couch is still evil," he added, snapping out of his fantasy.

"Then I'll sleep on the floor," Rad said dismissively.

"You're not sleeping on the floor! That's as bad as you sleeping on the couch!"

"Well would you like it better if I slept with you?" Rad asked, throwing down the towel and then turning to face Carlos.

He rolled his eyes again at Carlos's sudden coughing fit. "Relax, I didn't mean like that," Rad said exasperated.

"Well you _are_ recently divorced," Carlos said.

"No offense bro but I just don't find you attractive," Rad chuckled.

"Oh come on. You know I'm sexy," Carlos laughed, going along with the joke.

Honk!

"Hot Shot's here," Carlos said. "Let's go."

"Carlos," Rad shook his head. "I'm just not ready yet."

"_Hermaño_. One, I'm just asking you to go hang out with our friends for a few hours, so there is no need to sound like some a virgin telling her first boyfriend 'no'. And two, staying home is just letting Verda win. If you don't get out there and do stuff you'll never heal, and you'll never find the woman you were really meant to spend your life with," Carlos told his friend. He was hardly a romantic, but honestly, he knew that there was a woman out there for Rad. A woman that wasn't Verda. A woman that was accomplished. A woman who was five foot six. A woman who was a red head. But he kept that last part to himself. Rad definitely would be happy to know that Carlos intended to play matchmaker between him and Alexis.

"Maybe I don't want find the woman I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with," Rad replied stubbornly.

"Fine. You'll never find the _man_ you're meant to spend the rest of your life with," Carlos amended. He had to duck to avoid being hit by the flying dishtowel.

"I'll go if you drop the finding my one true love crap," Rad said grudgingly.

"That's all I ask," Carlos laughed.

* * *

"Where the hell is my lipstick," Alexis growled, rummaging through her purse. Why could nothing go right today? First, her attempts at cooking failed miserably, yet again. Then her hot water heater broke so she was forced to take a cold shower. And now her make-up disappeared.

Not that she really needed to wear make-up around her old friends the Autobots, but she always made a point to dress nicely right after a break-up to prove to the guy that he hadn't meant that much to her.

"Aww screw it," Alexis finally growled in frustration. She heard Hot Shot honk his horn from the driveway. She couldn't really keep him waiting without having to listen to Carlos's teasing about how it took her three hours to find just the right outfit.

She hurried down the hallway vaguely wondering if she should have worn tennis shoes instead of her high heels. To late to change now.

Standing outside her front door, Alexis smiled and waved at Hot Shot and his passengers.

Wait… passengers? Plural? Who was that guy sitting in the passenger seat talking with Carlos? Carlos wouldn't bring an outsider with them, would he?

Just then the man turned and Alexis found herself staring into a pair of familiar, deep ocean blue eyes.

'Oh god. Rad. What is Rad doing here! He should be in L.A with that bit-- Uhh Verda! Damnit' Alexis cursed to herself, hoping she didn't slip up and call Verda a bitch out loud.

Then Rad smiled that slow, heart-melting smile that always made her go weak in the knees and nearly caused her to trip.

'Damnit, that smile is probably why Verda always keeps him on a short leash' Alexis thought miserably.

* * *

"Hey Alexis, don't suppose you could take any more time to do your hair," Carlos quipped.

"Shut up Carlos," Alexis growled slipping into Hot Shot's back seat. It didn't take that long to style her hair even if she had grown it out past her shoulder blades.

"Hi Alexis," Hot Shot greeted.

"Hey Hot Shot. I trust there were no near heart-attacks this year," Alexis said laughing.

"No. I haven't brought a girl home in six months thank you very much," Carlos grumbled.

"I told if you wanted to bring someone home I'd disappear for a few hours," Rad said.

"Where to? The bar? I heard all about the incident at 'The Broken Spoke'. No way am I letting you do that again," Carlos scolded.

"Rad's staying with you while he's in town?" Alexis asked.

"Ummmm," Carlos looked to Rad for help.

"I'm staying with him until I can get my own house," Rad said. Alexis could almost see him pulling back into himself.

"What about your place in LA?"

"Burned down."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I was going to move out anyway."

* * *

Who the hell did that red head think she was? That slut was giving _her_ man the eye! That little bitch should keep her eyes to herself. Bradley wasn't available!

Whoever that chick was, she would pay for even looking at what wasn't hers!

AN: This is probably a cliché story but what the hell. R&R


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3

The ride to the base hadn't changed at all. Rad swore that if he stared at the passing landscape long enough he could forget the past few years and just be that kid again, on his way to his friend's secret base after school. If he glanced at his best-friend in the seat next to him, or the girl in the backseat who had haunted his teenage dreams, the illusion would be broken. Carlos' lack of baby fat and recently acquired goatee were enough to remind Rad of the passage of time.

He didn't even want to go into the change Alexis' appearance had undergone in the years since they met the Autobots. He wouldn't think about how Alexis' legs were longer and nearly perfectly shaped. That her hips were nice to look at as well, her stomach wasn't perfectly flat but Rad had never liked twigish women, feeling like they'd snap in two if not treated with the utmost care. He didn't think much on her breasts other than they were nice, shying away from thinking of her in too sexual of a way. Her face was more mature than when they were kids, though still giving off the impression that she could and would bite your head off for the slightest offense.

He noticed then that she was blushing. 'Oh god she caught me checking her out' Rad thought dragging his eyes away from the woman and forcing them to stare at the rapidly passing landscape. 'I can't believe I just did that. The divorce isn't even final yet and I'm staring at one my oldest friends' chest' Rad inwardly berated himself.

God, Carlos was right. He'd been keeping to himself to long. After a three year marriage to a very _active_ woman, going cold turkey probably hadn't been the best thing for his…his… well he was just going to say 'peace of mind' for right now.

* * *

Alexis fought down a blush. She needed to relax. There was no way in hell Rad had actually been checking her out. Not when they were in high school, not when he came back that summer before things got serious Verda. And especially not now.

She hadn't missed the pronoun change earlier when Rad was talking about getting a house. Not 'We' as in him and Verda, but 'I' as in just him. What happened to Verda? Rad most definitely wouldn't have left her, and Verda would have to be a complete idiot to leave Rad. Carlos would have called her if anything had happened like Verda dying.

Maybe it had just been syntax and Rad hadn't meant anything by it.

Damnit, Rad's blue eyes never let her think straight.

* * *

Optimus was waiting at the gate when Hot Shot arrived. It seemed like so much more than a few years since he last saw Carlos and Alexis. As much as he enjoyed the peace of the last fourteen years, he sometimes found himself missing the time he spent on Earth during the Minicon Wars. Watching the kids grow up and mature had been strangely fulfilling. They'd come to him with some of their problems. Alexis with her boy troubles, which he honestly had been very helpful with other than advising her to steer clear of them.

Carlos had come to him about whether of not he should go away to college like Rad or stay close to his family. Optimus told him family was always important but sometimes you needed some distance to have room to grow. Carlos had settled for going to the local university, staying in the dorms during the week and coming home on weekends.

Rad … Rad had come to him with something very important. Rad had wanted his advice on Verda. It was a few weeks before the wedding, Rad had admitted he was having second thoughts. He loved Verda, but wasn't sure she was 'The One'. He'd told Optimus that he harbored feelings for someone else but that she didn't feel the same way about him. He also admitted that he felt like he might be using Verda to forget this other woman, and that he wasn't sure he'd be happy with her. Optimus had tried to advise him as well as he could without having prior experience in that area. For him there had only ever been Elita-1, and she had returned his feelings from the beginning. He's advised Rad to only go through with the marriage if he was certain that it was what he really wanted. Two weeks later Rad and Verda married. Optimus guessed that Rad decided that he really could be happy with Verda.

"Optimus!" Alexis called. Despite the current peace enjoyed by the Transformers, Optimus rarely got to make the yearly trip to Earth. So occasions like this were truly something to be happy about.

"Hello Alexis. How are you?"

"Great."

"_Hola_ Optimus," Carlos called, getting of Hot Shot's driver's seat.

"Hello Carlos. I'm glad that you two could--" Optimus trailed off when Carlos' face split into a grin. Then Hot Shot's passenger side door opened.

Optimus lips formed a smile under his faceplate. "Hello Rad. Welcome back."

* * *

Verda let herself into her cousin's brick one story. A few calls to her _Tia_ Lucita told her that her husband had shown up here shortly after he burned down their house in LA. She'd gotten into town that morning just in time to see that redheaded tramp ogling her husband. She always knew Alexis had the hots for Bradley.

Alexis had practically spent their entire wedding sitting around moping about how Bradley was no longer within her reach. As though he'd have ever given Alexis a second glance.

When she reached the living room she saw that the fold out couch was neatly made. It would be where Bradley slept. Carlos would have offered his best friend the bed, but Bradley would not put his friend out. Especially for so long.

Setting her bundle down in the center of the couch so it could not roll off. Verda then leaned down to sniff the pillow. The smell of her husband filled her nose. She had missed that. Bradley's smell had always been intoxicating to her. She ran her fingers over the pillow imagining them sliding through Bradley's sandy hair.

Some mewling from the bundle brought her out of her musing. Her eyes met a pair of blue eyes that were strangely alert for belonging to a newborn.

"Hush _Niño._ Daddy will be here soon," she said picking up her son.

* * *

"Beep Beep!" Highwire exclaimed happily as he threw his arms around Rad. Highwire and Sideswipe had been waiting just inside the main entrance to greet their guests.

"Good to see you too buddy," Rad chuckled returning his old friend's hug.

"Rad! You're here!" said Sideswipe, practically bouncing with joy. Then he turned around to yell down the hall to the command room. "Hey Blurr! You owe me some High Grade!"

"You were betting on whether or not I would come?" Rad asked, more amused than offended.

"Yeah. It started last year. I lost most of my High Grade and had to cover Hot Shot, Blurr, and Smokescreen's night shifts because I bet that you'd show up," Sideswipe pouted, showing that he really hadn't matured much in last few years.

"Sorry," Rad chuckled. He should have known his friends wouldn't be mad at him for drifting away. The worst he was going to face was some good-natured ribbing and possibly a few more of Sideswipe's pouts. But he could live with that.

"What's this about me owing you some High Grade?" Blurr asked, coming down the hall.

"Rad's here," Sideswipe bounced.

"Damnit. I don't have five cubes of High Grade, Sideswipe," Blurr complained.

"Never bet what you can not afford to lose," Sideswipe said sagely.

"Why is it that you always make me eat my own words," Blurr asked.

"Because it's fun," Sideswipe chirped.

Blurr just turned and walked away muttering what sounded like "I just had to cut him down didn't I? I could have left him hanging from that cable, but no. Stupid rookies always look so innocent a first. Then they turn into leeches."

"Well, I see you two are still the best of friends," Rad chuckled.

"Yup. It took a while but I think I finally grew on him," Sideswipe smiled.

"That's debatable," Blurr called back over his shoulder.

Carlos and Alexis, who had been waiting in the background while Rad reunited with their old friends, smiled at each other.

"I guess some things never change," Alexis chuckled.

"Or if they do, its for the better," Carlos replied. A plan was already forming in his head as to how get his two friends to take off the blinders and see each other. He'd need some help though. Sideswipe most definitely, Hot Shot too. Maybe Blurr as well. And Optimus would be especially helpful.

Carlos smiled. Time to get to work.

**AN:** Didn't come easy but it's here. So is baby Rad's or was Verda three timing? How is Carlos going to get Rad and Alexis to get a clue? When I figure it out **_you_** (Author points at her cat) will be the first to know.

Author's Cat: Somebody had one too many.

Author: It's New Years Eve! I'm allowed to drink… Wait did you just talk?

Author's Cat: Meow?

Author:??

Author's Cat: R&R or I'll claw the crap out of you.

Author: (goes back to waiting for the ball to drop) Happy New Years!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4

The sunset over the desert was just as beautiful as he remembered it being when he was a kid. The sky burning with golds, reds, pinks, and violets. It had always symbolized the end of yet another day and adventure with the Autobots. Rad couldn't count the number of times he, Carlos, and occasionally Alexis had sat up on this very cliff to watch the sunset. He remembered the feeling of contentment when the Autobots had succeeded in saving a Minicon from the Decepticons and justice prevailed. He also remembered the restless feeling he got when the tables were turned and the Decepticons won the day. And the hallow feeling when the Autobots prevailed but a great costs usually leaving one of the Autobots in the Med Bay on the brink of death. The sun had also been setting while Optimus Prime was facing the Hydra Cannon, sacrificing his life for a planet and people that weren't even his.

Rad wondered if this sunset represented the end of another adventure. His divorce papers should be arriving any day now. All that was needed to make his divorce final was his signature. Verda herself had already signed them about a week before her baby was due. After he sent them back there would be a short wait for them to process and then he could put the whole matter to rest and move on with his life.

"Hey."

"Hey," Rad replied, turning to face Alexis. How could he have forgotten? There was another thing the sunset represented. Another day gone by that he hadn't told Alexis how he felt about her. He'd sat up here countless times watching the sunset, and wishing that he had the guts to just reach out and take Alexis' hand in his. As a teenager he'd watched the sunset from his room before going to sleep to dream about the redhead. That summer he came home from college he'd watched the sunset with Verda, secretly wishing it was Alexis he was holding in his arms, admiring the colors with, and planning to marry.

"The sunset always seemed prettier up here," Alexis commented, voicing Rad's earlier thoughts, as she took a seat next to Rad.

"Yeah," Rad answered.

"So…you've been in town for six months?" Not a very subtle way to broach the subject but it was effective.

"Yeah."

"... Why didn't you tell me?" Alexis sounded hurt. Damn, he hated that. Hurting his friends was low.

"I didn't really tell anyone that I was back."

"Except for Carlos." Bitterness. Sometimes it was obvious like right now with Alexis, and sometimes it was hidden behind pretty words like with Verda's snide remarks whenever they talked about his old life in High Desert.

"I needed a place to stay. I knew Carlos had some extra space at his place."

"A bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Yeah, that's a lot of room." Sarcasm oozed. "Where do you sleep? The shower?"

Rad winced inwardly at her hard tone. "The fold out couch actually."

Alexis snorted. "The one that screwed up Carlos' back so badly he's still going to the chiropractor on a weekly basis?"

"He's only still going to the chiropractor because she's got an Italian accent that drives him nuts."

"Men," Alexis hissed. Rad was beginning to remember why he was so afraid to try and grab her hand as a kid.

"So why did you come back? Verda kick you out or something?" That hurt. Alexis was hurt and probably didn't mean that the way it had come out. She probably just thought that he'd done something stupid to piss off Verda and that he was sulking here in High Desert until Verda bestowed her forgiveness upon him and allowed him to return to their home in LA.

But hearing her say that still hurt.

"Actually, she ran off."

Alexis did a double take. "Huh?"

"Verda ran off. With a man. Who she claims is the father of her child."

"Oh." Alexis looked unsure of what to say next. Rad could almost see her biting her tongue wishing she could take back her earlier words.

"Yeah… shit this conversation just went to hell didn't it?" Rad groaned. He shouldn't have told her like that. Now she was going to be upset about what she'd said and Rad really didn't want that. Or worse, she'd feel sorry for him.

"Maybe it went to hell a little," Alexis admitted.

"So, how about we just sit here in an awkward silence and watch the sunset," Rad offered.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"See!" Sideswipe demanded, pointing at the young humans sitting at the edge of the cliff.

"See what?" Hot Shot asked.

"There's defiantly something there," Blurr agreed.

"They were made for each other!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

Hot Shot looked doubtful. "I don't know… he did marry Verda."

"That was only because Alexis was still giving him the cold shoulder back then."

"You know, there might be a reason she was always giving him the cold shoulder."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe it was because she just wasn't interested in him."

"I personally always thought she was just playing hard to get."

"Come on Blurr, not you too."

"I'm serious Hot Shot. She was always sneaking looks at him when she thought he wasn't looking."

"And Rad always sent looks at her way whether she was looking or not," Sideswipe piped up.

"How would you know Sideswipe?"

"Because unlike certain mechs I could mention, I don't stop observing my surroundings just because I'm no longer on the battlefield," Sideswipe stated, primly turning up his nose in mock haughtiness.

"You didn't even observe you surroundings on the battlefield, much less off the battlefield," Hot Shot scoffed.

"I did too!"

"Then why did I always have to cover you skid when things got tough?"

"No you didn't!"

"Yes I did."

"Blurr, tell him. I'm right!"

"No, tell him I'm right!"

"…"

"Well?"

"Ummm… You're both right?" Blurr supplied.

"Blurr!"

Blurr took this opportunity to run for it.

"Blurr, get back here!" Hot Shot yelled, running after him.

"Blurr! Hot Shot! Watch out for that cliff!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"…Idiots," Sideswipe muttered.

* * *

"So, you three will help?" Carlos asked.

"Yup," Sideswipe chirped happily. Carlos restrained a chuckle. Out of the three Autobots present, Sideswipe was the only one showing no signs wear. Hot Shot and Blurr on the other hand looked like they'd fallen down the mountain.

"We'll help. But we refuse to do anything illegal," Blurr stated.

"Or anything that could get us fired," Hot Shot put it

"Same thing," Blurr said.

"So kidnapping them and locking them in a broom closet until they admit their undying love for each other is out?" Sideswipe pouted.

"Eh, that would have been a little obvious. Remember Rad and Alexis both have their pride. They won't go for it if they don't think it's completely their idea," Carlos said. Hot Shot and Blurr nodded in agreement.

* * *

The sun was going down. Humph. Honestly, how long did it take for Bradley to catch up with all his old friends? Admittedly he hadn't seen them in years but there really couldn't that much for them to talk about… Unless it was that redheaded bitch Alexis he was busy catching up with. That was another story. He could be out for hours if that was the case.

Fine, let the slut have her fun. Bradley would still be coming home tonight. And when he went back to LA, it would be with her, not the red-haired slut.

* * *

"You'll be back first thing tomorrow, right?" Sideswipe demanded.

"Yes, I'll be here tomorrow," Rad assured his friend for the sixth time in a row.

"First thing," Sideswipe was like a dog on a bone.

"After breakfast and a shower. I don't think you guys want me showing up here smelling like Carlos' dirty socks."

"Why would you smell like Carlos' dirty socks?"

"Because I have to put a load of them through the laundry when I get home," Rad said with a not so subtle glare at Carlos.

"I swear living with you is like having a wife except without the perks," Carlos groaned.

"Perks?" Sideswipe asked.

"You know, perks. Umm…"

Rad rolled his eyes at his friend's attempt to find the words to explain what he meant. "Carlos. Don't," he said simply. While he was fairly sure Red Alert and Optimus were aware of human procreation methods, Sideswipe was most definitely not.

"Yeah, time to go," Carlos agreed.

"What did he mean by perks?" Sideswipe asked Blurr after his friends had left.

"How should I know?"

AN: Sucks I know. I wanted one last happy go lucky chapter before Rad's life gets turned upside down. R&R


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own Nothing

AN: Residents of Kansas, I mean no offense. My best friend is a resident of your wonderful state. Also, to the Spanish speakers, I took two years of Spanish early on in high school. I am now in college, so please forgive any mistakes.

Chapter 5

A yellow car was pulling into the driveway. Not her cousin's, he drove an old rusted monstrosity he referred to as a 'classic'. It wasn't Bradley's either, he had better taste than that horrible yellow.

Oh no. It was one of those Autobots. Probably the same one he'd ridden off with this morning. There couldn't be more than one of them with that ugly shade of yellow.

"Look baby," she cooed, "Daddy's home."

* * *

"Now, tell me it wasn't nice to see everyone again," Carlos nudged as they walked up the path to the front door.

"It was horrible," Rad deadpanned. "I was warmly received by old friends, sat and watched the sunset with a beautiful woman, and then barely escaped her clutches before midnight"

"Yes. It was horrible for you. I'm sorry I forced you to endure such an awful ordeal. Will you ever forgive me?" Carlos mock pleaded, batting his eyelashes prettily.

Rad chuckled. "Maybe. But you have to buy breakfast tomorrow."

"Buy? Not make?"

"I promised Sideswipe I'd be back. So unless I want to spend the rest of their visit in the hospital, I think eating your cooking is out of the question."

"Nobody's ever ended up in the hospital from eating my cooking," Carlos huffed indignantly.

"No. But only 'cause I didn't want to explain to the doctor why I ate radioactive waste."

"Radioactive? Toxic maybe, but not radioactive," Carlos bantered back.

Rad opened is mouth to reply, but was stopped short by the creaking of springs coming from the living room. He and Carlos shared a significant glance.

"I'm not expecting company, _hermano_. Are you?" Carlos asked apprehensively.

"No bro, I'm not," Rad replied with a sense of foreboding. His fears were proved justified a second later.

"_Mi esposo_!" Verda cried in delight, tearing around the corner and jumping to enfold Rad in a warm embrace. When he made no move to return her hug she stepped away, but was not discouraged. "I've missed you," she smiled.

"Really," Rad said doubtfully. "I would have thought Jace was keeping you well occupied."

"Jace was a mistake. He is in the past," Verda said with almost believable remorse.

"Huh, to bad you didn't decide that before the papers were signed," Rad commented dryly.

"The papers don't matter. All that matters is that we're together now," Verda smiled cheerily, showing no sign of strain.

"Yeah, did you possibly forget that you cheated on me and ran off with your lover six months ago? Or am I the one who's supposed to forget that?" Rad asked, looking at Verda as if she were suggesting he move to Kansas and raise pigs for a living.

"We can both forget that ever happened," Verda insisted.

"I can't," Carlos interrupted.

"It is none of your concern Carlos," Verda snapped.

"It's my concern when it involves my best-friend, Verda. You betrayed him and you betrayed our family, coz. And neither one is that keen on forgiveness," Carlos growled.

"It is not our family's place to give or withhold forgiveness. My marriage is none of their business," Verda growled.

"It is when it involves one of our own, Verda. Rad's been part of our family for years. They don't appreciate you betraying him like you did," Carlos responded.

"I was lonely. I made a mistake," Verda protested.

"Lonely? When were you ever alone? I was there with you everyday, whenever you needed me Verda. You didn't lack emotional support or physical comfort. We both know you never slept alone when we were together," Rad said angrily.

"You expected too much. You made me give up so much," Verda declared.

"Like what? I moved to LA because that's where you wanted to live. I stopped speaking with my friends because they took me away from you. Damnit woman what did I ever ask you to give up?"

"I had dreams," she said.

"And just how was getting pregnant and running off with your co-worker supposed to help you achieve these dreams?" Rad asked.

"It was a mistake."

"No shit, _prima,_" Carlos muttered.

"I made many mistakes during our time together, but one I truly do regret," Verda announced.

"Messing around with Jace on your lunch breaks?" Rad asked sarcastically.

Verda drew herself up. "Come, I will show you." With that she turned on her heel and marched back into the living room.

Carlos and Rad shared another glance. "You know, we could pretend we're--"

Rad shook his head. "Your mom would kill us if it got back to her."

"Not really. She bet _Tia_ Rosa fifty dollars last month that we were secretly dating. She promised me a cut if we helped her win it."

Rad snorted. "Why is your family so determined for me to be gay?"

"They want to hold on to you. Now that you're divorcing Verda they figure I'm their last hope."

"Bradley! Come!" Verda called from the living room.

"You sure _hermano_?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, it's not like she'd honestly believe us anyway," Rad sighed walking toward the living room, willing to do whatever it took to get her to leave.

He found his wife sitting on his bed, holding a small bundle that he could only assume was her newborn child. "What do you want Verda?" he asked, drained.

"I would like you to meet your son, Lucas," she said holding the baby up for inspection.

"My son? I believe I got a letter six months ago telling me different," Rad's tone was flippant but he looked uncertain what to make of this new proclamation.

"He is yours," Verda stated.

"What makes you say that?" Rad wasn't going to take her words at face value. Whatever she hoped to gain by trying to pass the baby off as his, she would have to do better than this.

"He has your eyes. Jace and I are alike in heritage. Lucas did not inherit his blue eyes from either of us," she said, handing the baby to Rad.

Warily looking into the baby's face, Rad found himself staring into a pair of sleepy blue eyes. Eyes that, like Verda said, matched his own. Rad felt his heart stop beating for a second and found it suddenly hard to draw breath. Verda could be telling the truth.

"_Hermano_?" Carlos stuck his head in the door, concerned by the lack of yelling coming from the couple. "Everyone ok in here?" he asked. His concern grew when Rad remained dumbstruck. "What's going on here?"

"I am introducing my _esposo_ to his son," Verda told her cousin.

"What?!"

Verda smiled cockily at him. "Bradley is a father Carlos. We are parents."

Rad finally snapped out of his shock. He blinked slowly at the child in his arms. "My god," he murmured.

"_Hermano_?" Carlos asked. Rad blinked at him, then at Verda. He handed the baby back to Verda and then vacantly strode toward the door.

"Bradley, where are you going?" Verda asked.

"I can't stay here tonight," he said. At the moment that was the only thing he was certain of.

"Sure you can," Carlos said. "This is your home. Verda can room at the Motel 6."

"She's your cousin Carlos, so is the baby," Rad reminded him, grabbing his keys off the table.

"And you're my brother," Carlos said simply.

Rad stopped at that. He turned back and gave Carlos one of his rare true smiles. "Thanks man," seemed inadequate but it was all he knew to say. Then his smile vanished. "I'm gonna need to think about all of this though," he said, gesturing toward Verda and the baby.

"You're going to her house," Verda hissed coming up behind them.

Rad glanced at Verda but didn't answer. He left without another word.

* * *

Alexis blinked drowsily up at the ceiling. She must have fallen asleep on the couch while watching the news. She cautiously sat up, allowing for the cricks and pops that came with sleeping in such an awkward position.

Someone was knocking on her front door. Alexis wearily wiped her eyes to clear the sleep from them. That better not be Mrs. Carol again asking about that damn cat. Or worse, Tony coming to ask for another chance. Idiot, stalker ex-boyfriends.

The knocking was becoming more insistent. Sooner or later she was going to have to take out a restraining order on that jerk, Alexis thought to herself as she stumbled toward the front door.

"Rad!" she exclaimed, looking through the peephole. What in the world was he doing here?

"Hey Alexis," Rad smiled weakly as she opened the door.

"Rad, what are you doing out at this hour? It's nearly 2 am."

"I sorta need a place to stay for tonight," Rad said sheepishly. It had probably just occurred to him that she might have been asleep.

"Why? You and Carlos didn't have fight did you? That jerk, I'll kill him!"

"No we didn't have a fight," Rad laughed at her rant. Then he sobered. "Verda's there."

"What? You've been staying there for months and she show up and you get kicked out! Humph, that's loyalty for ya."

"I didn't get kicked out Alexis. I just can't stay there tonight. And before you say anything, Carlos was going to make Verda stay at the Motel 6, but I wouldn't let him."

"As she should," Alexis grumbled.

"No she shouldn't, not with the baby."

"So what if she and her boyfriend's kid have to stay at the roach motel?" Alexis asked. She caught the look that crossed Rad's face. "Something happened. What?"

"The kid… might be mine."

"How?"

"Well Verda and I were very active Alexis. That's why it threw me so much when I found out she had an affair," Rad explained.

"But you said she knew it was her boyfriend's kid," Alexis pointed out.

"That was before the baby was born. He has my eyes," Rad said somberly.

Alexis' heart melted at that tone. In all the years they had spent as friends Rad had never sounded so… dejected. "Come here," she said softly, pulling Rad into a hug. Unlike earlier with Verda, Rad returned her embrace.

"God Alexis, I might be a dad," he whispered in disbelief.

AN: Sorry it's late. Rough year. Sorry for grammar mistakes. R&R


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Just a reminder. Rad is an honorable dude. He won't make any real moves on Alexis while he is still technically married to Verda.

This is my (belated) Christmas present to you all. Now, to go get back in touch with my Catholic faith.

Chapter 6

Alexis woke to the smell of what could only be French toast. For a moment she thought she was back at her parents' house, when her father would get up early to cook her a real breakfast before he had to go to work. Her father had a strange aversion to cold cereal and pop-tarts and had always refused to allow them to be stocked in their kitchen.

She allowed herself to indulge that memory for a little while before allowing reality to intrude. The heavy tread of male footsteps down the hall brought her back to the present. Her father's footsteps had always been soft and light.

"Alexis?" Rad's voice was accompanied by a knock. "Are you up yet?"

"Yeah," she called sleepily.

"Breakfast's ready," he announced.

" 'kay," she said, rolling out of bed and landing on the floor with a grunt. She sat there for a minute debating whether her morning cup of coffee was worth Rad seeing her with bed head. After trying and failing to stand three times she decided it was. She managed to pull herself up and stumble to the door. Opening it she found Rad still standing there, holding a cup of coffee.

"Black with two sugars?" he asked offering her the cup.

"Yeah," she smiled in return.

It had been three years, she mused as he left, and he still remembered how she liked her coffee.

* * *

After breakfast Sideswipe arrived to pick them up.

"You're really serious about making sure I come back aren't you?" Rad laughed, the sound bringing a smile to Alexis' face.

"Well yeah. That and Hot Shot's in the infirmary today," Sideswipe answered.

"Dare I ask why?" Rad asked, still smiling.

"He and Blurr fell down the mountain last night."

"Again?"

"Yup."

"That makes it four times now, right?"

"Nope, six. They fell down it twice on our last visit,"

Alexis let herself get lost in their friendly banter. It had been so long since she just sat and listened to two people laugh and joke around. Her co-workers prided themselves on their professionalism, so heaven forbid that they pull the stick out of their ass and actually crack a smile. She suppressed a giggle at the thought.

Halfway through an interesting tale involving Rad, a bar, and a half used book of matches, they arrived at Carlos' house. Even after last night she hadn't been expecting Rad's mood to change so suddenly. His relaxed humor vanished, replaced by a certain wariness as he eyed the small brick building.

"I can go see if he's ready," Alexis offered.

"No," Rad said with a shake of his head. "This is my house too for right now. She can't run me out of it for good." With that said he climbed out of Sideswipe's driver's seat and headed for the door.

* * *

For the first time in six months, and the second time in his life, Rad found himself knocking on Carlos's front door instead of just walking in. It was a somewhat novel experience for him. Even the first time he came here right after Verda left him it had seemed weird to have to knock when he'd always had free access to wherever Carlos was living. It had always been that way. Carlos had always been welcome in his home and he'd always been welcome in Carlos's home. Even when they had that stupid fight in high school about a football play both their homes had remained open for the other. They'd made his mom act as a message carrier between them when Carlos stopped by for dinner. His mother, a usually no nonsense woman, had allowed the childish behavior at her dinner table only because she'd thought it was hilarious to see two teenage boys acting like 'such drama queens'.

Rad's nostalgic musings were cut off when Carlos answered the door, holding the baby. Lucas, Rad reminded himself. The baby's name was Lucas. Goddamnit, Verda had named the kid after his grandfather.

"Hey _hermano_," Carlos greeted with a wan smile. He didn't look like he'd slept much. Rad felt a twinge of guilt that he'd just run off and left Carlos to deal with Verda. Knowing that Carlos was firmly on his side about everything, Rad knew that Carlos would just as rather not have to deal with Verda either.

"Hey man," Rad greeted in return. There was feeling of tension between them and Rad didn't like it. If there was one person in the whole universe that he'd always felt completely at ease with, it was Carlos. That this whole thing was affecting their relationship this way made him want to be angry, but only succeeded in saddening him.

"I don't think I can come today," Carlos finally spoke up.

"Why? They're only here for a little while," Rad reminded him.

"I know, but…"

"But what?" Rad asked.

"Verda decided to go shopping," Carlos admitted.

"So? What's that got to do with whether or not you can go to the base?"

"In Leesburg," Carlos added.

"That's eighty miles away, bro."

"I know, but they got that big mall with all the salons and designer stores. And since she doesn't have a stroller she didn't want to take Lucas with her."

"And she roped you in to babysitting. I already got that man," Rad said nodding toward the baby.

"Yeah," Carlos grimaced. "I think she's hoping that if she leaves him with me long enough, you'll bond with him and take her back."

"Yeah, that sounds like Verda," Rad said letting out a heavy breath. Same old manipulative Verda. She always had a secret, or not so secret, agenda. "Did she leave you the car seat?"

"Yeah."

"Get it and whatever else you need." When Carlos started to protest Rad continued "Like I said, they're only here for a little while. Besides, Red Alert might have the right equipment to run a paternity test."

"You sure you want to do that man?" Carlos asked.

"Do I have any choice? He has my eyes Carlos. If there's a chance he's mine I can't just ignore it. I have to know for sure."

"What are you gonna do if the tests come back negative?"

"I'll send Verda packing,"

"And if he's yours?"

"I don't know bro. I really don't," Rad said with shake of his head. "We'll work something out. Something that doesn't involve me and Verda staying married."

Carlos smiled. "Good."

* * *

Alexis watched the pair on the porch intently. She doubted they would allow Verda's reappearance to interfere with their friendship but emotions would be running high between them and it wouldn't be the first time a bad choice of words between them escalated to something more.

All she could makeout of Carlos was his head and left shoulder, which were visible over Rad's right shoulder. There was no sign of Verda, thank god. Then Rad shifted a little, providing Alexis with a better view of Carlos. Her eyes were drawn to the small squirming bundle in his arms. Her breath caught in her throat.

It was the baby, possibly Rad's son. It seemed unreal, the image of Rad as a father. As a kid she'd known Rad would make a great leader some day, but she'd never considered what he'd be like as a parent. Maybe that was because she couldn't see herself as a mother that made the idea of Rad having children so alien. Her mind couldn't make the connection of someone she'd grown up alongside having children. It didn't make sense to her.

She watched as Rad and Carlos disappeared into the house returning moments later with a carseat and a baby bag. She asked no questions when they placed the baby's carseat in the back and spent ten minutes figuring out how to strap the seat in and another five on how to get the baby buckled into the seat. Surprisingly, neither did Sideswipe.

Neither Rad nor Carlos offered any explanation for the child. They merely collapsed on either side of it when they had it adequately buckled in and told Sideswipe they were ready to go.

* * *

Sideswipe knew he was considered to be one of the more naïve Autobots, and to be honest he liked it that way. That preconception had helped him out often enough over the years. The others often underestimated him, which he was not ashamed to take advantage of. That bet he lost the year before had been a one time break in a very long winning streak.

He also knew that his knowledge of humans was limited to his experiences with the kids. But he knew enough to understand that the child in his back seat had come from somewhere, and judging by the blue eyes peering out from it's tiny face and the child's tan complexion he could guess where.

Hot Shot and Blurr might consider this a complication to the plan. But he'd always known those two couldn't think outside the box if their lives depended on it. This could easily be turned to their advantage if they just looked at it from the right angle. It would be the perfect opportunity for Rad to show off his parenting skills. And, despite whatever Verda had been thinking when she came back, this would be the final nail in the coffin that had been her and Rad's marriage. Rad would never take her back now. Once the child entered into the equation things changed drastically.

Living for himself, Rad may have eventually forgiven Verda and given their marriage another shot. But if there was a kid involved Rad would stand strong for the sake of the baby.

This development would definitely work out in their favor.

* * *

They received several odd looks upon entering the base, but much to Rad's relief none of his friends questioned the presence of the baby. He didn't really know how he would explain Lucas to them.

After Sideswipe hurried off to speak with Blurr about something, Rad, with Carlos and Lucas in tow headed for the old infirmary. God willing, hopefully Red Alert hadn't tossed out the centrifuge after Optimus forbid any experiments on the local fauna.

* * *

Thanks to years of working as both a mercenary and a soldier, Blurr had developed instincts far beyond those of your average Cybertronian. Those instincts allowed him to work long hours without rest or nourishment. They allowed him to subsist for months on end on substandard nourishment. And now, over a decade after the war's end, they allowed him to go from a blissfully deep recharge to wide awake and on his feet with his assailant pinned to the wall with one hand while the other reached for the weapon he no longer carried.

"Good morning Blurr," Sideswipe chirped, annoyingly unruffled at finding himself dangling a few feet above the floor with his colleague's arm pressing into his neck. But then again, considering how they met, Blurr guessed Sideswipe might be used to this kind of thing by now.

"Don't do that!" Blurr growled.

"What did he do this time?" Hot Shot asked drowsily, not as quick to come out of recharge as Blurr.

"Well obviously I didn't fall down a mountain last night," Sideswipe snipped back.

Blurr glanced at Hot Shot, who was stretching his arms out with some rather painful sounding cracks. He looked a little worse for the wear, and a quick glance at himself told Blurr he didn't look any better. And of course Red Alert stopped treating them both after the third time they fell down that damn mountain.

Hot Shot chose that moment to notice that Blurr still had Sideswipe up against the wall. His face settled into a glare. "Are you gonna let him down now?" The 'or else' was left unspoken but was heavily implied by the growl that accompanied the words.

Blurr let Sideswipe drop to the floor. No point in upsetting Hot Shot's inner big brother this early in the morning. "So why the hell did you decide to attack me in my sleep?" Blurr asked gruffly.

Sideswipe smiled. "And you call me overdramatic. All I did was poke you in the head."

Blurr didn't bother to remind Sideswipe that usually when he was pulled from recharge by something poking him in the head, it was the barrel of a gun doing the poking.

"Besides," Sideswipe's smile dissolved into a grin, and a scary grin at that. "I just got back from picking the kids up."

AN: College, family members dropping dead, and the rekindling of an old flame. Sounds like an episode of Numb3rs but is in fact my life. R&R.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own a really cool Transformers calendar that has 2007 Megatron as Mr. August (My birth month). It hangs in my room next to my dream catcher.

AN: About the blood type thing, I'm not sure how accurate it is. I found a few sites about it but I flunked biology and won't touch medical studies with a nine foot pole.

Chapter 7

"This child… could be yours?" Red Alert asked hesitantly. Rad and Carlos had tracked him down in the Rec Room after finding the infirmary occupied only by Blurr, Hot Shot, and Sideswipe— two of whom were bickering about Sideswipe assaulting Blurr in his sleep.

"According to Verda he's mine," Rad answered. "But seeing as how she wasn't exactly faithful the last year of our marriage I wouldn't put it past her to have another guy stashed away somewhere."

"I second that," Carlos muttered derisively.

"Beep!" Highwire protested, bouncing Lucas gently in his arms.

Carlos eyed him speculatively before turning back to Rad. "Ya know, I think Verda meant for you to bond instantly with the baby, not your Minicon."

"Beep beep!" Highwire snapped indignantly.

"I know he doesn't own you, I meant—"

"Not to be selfish but can we get back to my problem?" Rad asked, heading off the impending argument. They really didn't need to be going off on tangents right now. He turned back to Red Alert. "Are there any tests you can run that'll tell me if he's mine?"

Red Alert frowned. After Optimus caught him experimenting with gene splicing on the local reptiles he'd forbidden him from doing any further work with organic genetics. As harmless as it was, a paternity test would fall into that category and was subsequently not allowed. For confirmation of fatherhood Rad would need to consult a human physician. However, Red Alert was fairly certain he could narrow down the possibility—or rule out Rad completely as the child's father with one of the few tests that were still legal.

"I can type both your's and the child's blood. It won't confirm anything, but if you have incompatible blood types it will rule you out as a possible sire," Red Alert explained.

"I know my blood type," Rad informed him.

"That would be one less test I would have to run," Red Alert acknowledged.

"And it means Rad won't have to get stuck with needle," Carlos commented.

"Hey, don't mock me, bro. I'm not the one who punched a nurse for pricking my finger to check my iron levels," Rad threw back.

"Hey, she didn't sue," Carlos responded with a careless shrug.

"I will need to know the child's mother's blood type as well," Red Alert broke in.

"Verda's O negative," Carlos supplied.

Red Alert nodded. That was good. Depending on Rad's blood type, that ruled out two—if not three—possible blood types if the child was his. "And yours Rad?"

"B negative," said Rad.

Red Alert frowned. That meant that if the child had O or B type blood there was a possibility that Verda was telling the truth. If the child had A or AB, they would be certain it was not Rad's. Not as good of odds as Red Alert was hoping for, but they would do. "I'll need a sample from the child to determine his blood type." Rad and Carlos grimaced. "Will that be a problem?"

"No, not as long as you can shut your hearing off," Rad sighed.

"My audios have that function, but I didn't think your ears do."

"They don't," Carlos said flatly.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Carlos agreed.

"Highwire, you might want to hand Lucas to me," Rad advised the Minicon, resigning himself to being the bad guy.

* * *

In the infirmary, three heads shot up at the painful wail that echoed down the corridor. They would have already been on their feet and racing toward the source of the distressed cry had they not received Red Alert's memo over their comms. Their medic assured everyone that there was nothing wrong, and that Carlos's cousin was just a little fussy.

"Carlos's cousin, huh?" Blurr commented.

"Verda's son," Hot Shot nodded. "This could be a problem."

"Or not," Sideswipe put in.

"If it's Rad's kid, this could be a serious problem," Blurr argued. "It gives Verda another hook into him."

"And gives him even more reason to get out," Sideswipe insisted.

"How do you figure that?"

"Rad's not stupid. He knows that he and Verda are never gonna make it for the long haul. Verda cheated on him, she betrayed his trust. That had to hurt, because as much as none of us want to admit it, on some level he loved her. Now he can't trust her anymore and he probably doesn't love her anymore either. Sure, he might be able to hold it together for awhile, maybe for a few years he'll be able to make it work, be a father to the kid and husband to Verda. But eventually it's going to fall apart. Verda might cheat again, Rad might decide he's had enough, either way it's not gonna work. And by the time it all falls apart that kid'll've gotten attached to both of them. He won't understand what's going on but he'll know enough to realize his family is falling apart. Do you realize what that'll do to the kid? Not to mention the climate he'll have grown up in already. Rad and Verda wouldn't be a harmonious couple. There will be fights, raised voices, breaking dishes, you name it. Rad's not going to subject his kid to that, not for a doomed attempt at giving the kid a traditional family environment," Sideswipe finished.

Blurr had to agree with Sideswipe's logic on that point. Hot Shot seemed to still be mulling it over in his head but Blurr doubted he'd be able to form a reasonable argument either. "There still could be a problem. How's Alexis going to take this?" Blurr asked.

"From what I can tell she's being genuinely supportive. Remember, she's not a kid anymore, she knows that yelling at Rad isn't going to help the situation. And she's being reasonable. She doesn't really have an official claim on Rad yet so if she goes off on him for fathering a child by his wife... actually official claim or not she'll still come off as a jealous psycho," Sideswipe shrugged. "Anyway, after I dropped the kids off I saw her go off with Optimus. Seeing as he seems to be the kids' confidant about the really serious stuff…"

"She's probably talking her way through this right now," Blurr finished for him.

"Exactly. And if she's trying to talk her way through this…"

"She's not going to back off just 'cause there are a few new players on the field," Blurr agreed.

"When did you two turn into an old married couple?" Hot Shot growled. In the old days it had always been him and Sideswipe talking circles around the other Autobots, occasionally slowing down to explain what they were going on about to their confused teammates. But ever since the war ended it seemed that Sideswipe had more in common with Blurr than with him.

"When we realized we think along the same lines on most subjects that aren't battle related," Blurr remarked.

"And when Blurr realized I wasn't some obsessed stalker," Sideswipe added.

"Yeah," Blurr agreed remembering his former stalker, MourningStar. Sideswipe's hero worship paled in comparison to the excitable femme's obsession with him.

"Uh-huh," Hot Shot grumbled, probably remembering the MourningStar incident himself. His hard feelings from that incident probably stemmed more from the fact that it landed Sideswipe in the hospital rather than the complete invasion of Blurr's privacy by the deluded femme. Come to think of it, the former pissed Blurr off too.

"Back to the situation with Rad and Alexis. I really don't see this as being a setback," Sideswipe asserted.

"Don't the humans have some laws about what dads are supposed to do for their kids?"

"Something like that. The worst case scenario is Rad ends up paying child support." That was if Verda even wanted to keep the kid after she realized Rad wasn't going to take her back, though that happy thought was a longshot at best.

"And the best case scenario?" Hot Shot asked.

"The best case scenario is that Verda drops off the face of the planet but I think we'd settle for her giving Rad the kid and splitting," Blurr gave voice to Sideswipe's earlier thoughts.

"That's assuming she doesn't have any tender feelings for her son beyond him being a tool to get Rad back," Sideswipe pointed out.

"Who says she does? Come on this is Verda we're talking about. Remember that time—"

"Hot Shot, yeah I'll admit Verda's fickle to the point she makes Sideways look like a model of fidelity but that doesn't make her heartless," said Sideswipe with a huff. "Do I need to go back to the part where Rad loved her? He wouldn't have fallen for her if she didn't have some redeeming qualities."

"Then what are we supposed to do about her?" Hot Shot demanded.

"Nothing."

"Excuse me?"

"When we agreed to do this we promised not to do anything illegal or immoral. Can you tell me any way of getting Verda out the picture that doesn't break a few laws and the Autobot moral code?"

"…We never promised not to do anything immoral," Hot Shot pointed out.

"We said we wouldn't do anything that could get us fired Hot Shot," said Blurr. "Threatening Rad's ex-wife would definitely get us fired."

"Maybe Optimus would agree with us." Even Hot Shot himself didn't look too sure of that.

"Not likely," Blurr countered. "He has this crazy idea about letting the kids act like adults and handle their own problems."

"Then what are we supposed to do about her?" Hot Shot repeated.

"Like I said, nothing. With everything we do, we need to take all her possible actions into consideration and plan around them," said Sideswipe. "That's all _we_ can do."

"_We_?" Hot Shot asked, picking up on the emphasis.

"Well, we can't threaten Verda to get her to back off," said Blurr. "But Carlos can."

"And he will if she keeps pissing him off," Sideswipe finished.

* * *

"That should be sufficient," Red Alert announced.

"Thanks," Rad snapped acerbically. He willed his ears to stop ringing, but unfortunately mind over matter had never been his strong suit. Hopefully his eardrums hadn't been permanently damaged.

"It wasn't that bad," Carlos said in a vain attempt to placate his friend. The glare Rad sent him would have normally been all the reprimand he needed but somehow the effect was spoiled by the baby snot covering a large area on the front of Rad's shirt. Lucas, while still red faced and sniffling, had miraculously fallen asleep immediately after he'd finished screaming.

Carlos did not coo at the cute picture his irate friend and young cousin made. Men did not_ coo_ under any circumstance. Even at adorable newborns. And he would certainly deny that he was getting that warm fuzzy feeling that was usually inspired puppies and kittens. For the sake of his masculinity he'd probably deny any affinity puppies or kittens too, if pressed. But he had to admit that somehow, the sight of Rad, covered in snot and with a sleeping baby cuddled to his chest, just looked right—though he'd always pictured the baby having red hair rather than black.

"The blood will take several hours to type. It should be ready sometime after thirteen hundred hours," Red Alert informed them after he safely stored the sample somewhere on his frame.

"You know," Carlos commented as Red Alert headed off toward his lab, "It still amazes me that the Autobots don't hold a grudge against us for introducing them to the concept of military time."

"Sideswipe does," Rad assured him.

"I should've guessed that. I remember him ranting about it last time they were here," said Carlos. "What's thirteen hundred hours mean again?"

"One p.m."

"So after lunch right?"

Rad gave him a probing look. "Are you being dense on purpose, or is there a reason for it?"

"Dense?"

The scathing look from earlier was back in place. "Whatever it is, I don't want to know," Rad told him simply.

"Know what?"

"Whatever it is you're planning," Rad said. "You got me into way too much trouble last time."

"How was I supposed to know Janet would blame you for tie-dyeing her poodle for Decade Day?"

"Maybe because I was the one watching the stupid thing while she was out of town for Spirit Week."

"Well I didn't think she'd really go that far to get back at you."

"Three weeks, Carlos. That's how long I had to walk around with pink and purple swirls in my hair before my mom would let me get it cut."

"…Anyway, about lunch?"

"What about it? Didn't you bring something with you from home?"

"Actually no," Carlos admitted.

"Fine," Rad sighed. "You can share my turkey sandwich but this is the last time."

Carlos grinned. "That's what you said in kindergarten."

* * *

Her conversation with Optimus had calmed her some. She still had the strangest urge to track down Verda and give her a firm blow to the jaw, but it was no longer an overwhelming desire. That was something at least.

Now if she could just figure out why she was reacting like this. Rad had a kid… that might or might not be his. Once she got over the shock she should have been fine, but instead she found herself getting angry. Angry at Verda. At Rad. And strangely at herself.

Yeah, Verda had screwed up, hurt Rad, and just generally pissed Alexis off. It was pretty easy to figure out why she was angry at Verda. What had Rad done though? Went away to college, hooked up with Carlos's cousin while he was there, made a life for himself outside of High Desert. Was that really something to hold against him though? Part of her did, obviously, or she wouldn't be angry with him. But it wasn't fair to Rad. Keeping that in mind she would work on letting that anger go.

She had a vague idea about why she was angry at herself. Her crush on Rad had started while the war was still going on, around the time Starscream defected back to the Decepticons and Rad had been the only one who understood that she was upset. It hadn't really gone away as they'd grown up. It was never the 'blush every time he walks by' 'giggle behind your hand and tell all your girl pals about it' kind of thing, but she'd always ended up comparing the other guys she knew or dated to him. That was one of the reasons all her attempts at dating ended in a spectacular show of flames or ice.

Maybe if she'd given into the crush and asked him out things would be different. Maybe that would have given her crush a chance to grow into something more. Maybe it would have gone down in flames too. But would she and Rad still be friends if that had happened? That was one of the key questions, wasn't it? That, and should she take the risk and give into her crush now?

Not right away. Rad wasn't ready for another relationship yet and she refused to be the rebound girl. But six months from now, maybe a year, he'd be ready to try again. But was she willing to gamble nearly two decades of friendship on a crush with the potential to become more?

That would take some time to figure out.

AN: The MourningStar thing is nothing more than a cliché plot device to explain how Sideswipe and Blurr went from having little in common during the series to good friends in this fic.

PS: If I'm spending to much time on banter let me know, I'm not reigning it in like I usually do. Also, feel to inform me of any typos or grammatical errors.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8

"We've got food here guys, we really don't need to go into town," Alexis protested even as she helped Rad fasten in the carseat.

"But I don't," said Carlos.

"I offered to share with you, bro," Rad pointed out.

"Yeah, 'cause half a turkey sandwich is sure to fill us up," Carlos said rolling his eyes. He pointedly ignored the suspicion written clearly on Rad's face.

"Why didn't you just pack a lunch?" Alexis demanded, leaving Rad to finish deciphering the instruction label by himself.

"Didn't really think about it. Between putting up with Verda all night and then Lucas crying every five seconds I'm lucky I remembered to change my shirt," said Carlos with a yawn. He was really tired.

"Carlos is lucky to remember how to shower, and that's on a good day," Rad grouched.

"Whatever." Carlos refused to rise to the bait. "Don't you have to check your P.O. Box?"

Rad frowned. He was expecting his divorce papers any day now. If they arrived today he wanted to get a hold of them first thing. He wouldn't put it past Verda to try and get a hold of them. Though she didn't have a key, it was a small town post office. The postmaster, even knowing about the separation, might just hand over the box's contents on request.

"We can swing by and grab your mail on the way back from lunch," Carlos offered.

Tempting, but Carlos was up to something. There was no way that this wasn't part of some diabolical plan he'd cooked up for his own purposes. On the other hand he was hungry. With a final tug and snap the carseat was firmly fastened in. He held his arms out to Carlos, who handed him Lucas.

"Who's paying for this?" Rad asked, gently maneuvering the child into the seat. He then began the arduous process of strapping the baby in.

"Well, I figured we could split the cost," said Carlos, eyeing Rad with suspicion.

"Well from the looks of things I'm gonna need a good lawyer soon. Those don't come cheap, bro," Rad replied, finishing the final snap. "I need to start saving up soon."

"Ten bucks isn't going to break you, man," Carlos rolled his eyes.

He had a point, Rad conceded mentally.

"I'll pay for your meal, if you're that strapped for cash Rad," Alexis offered.

Rad grit his teeth as he was sure Carlos was doing a mental victory dance. Now he had to go. "I'm not that broke yet, Alexis," he assured her. "Where do you two want to eat?"

***

All in all, it could have been worse.

The family run pizza joint in town was inexpensive with a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Rad had spent many a Friday evening in here with his parents, enjoying the good pizza and excellent cheese fries. He'd never brought a date here, preferring to do his wooing at the elegant Chinese place off of Main Street. He had come here with Carlos and Alexis before, both individually and as a group. Homecoming and Prom Night had found the three of them here during their senior year of high school since for some reason none of them had managed to get dates for those dances, or more likely hadn't cared to.

A friendly waitress showed them to a booth by the window. She laid out the menus and place setting and took their drink orders. Rad declined her offer to fetch a highchair for Lucas. The infant could barely hold his head up on his own, much less support himself in the over large highchair. The baby was better off staying in his carrier seat. After the waitress left to get their drinks, the friends settled in to peruse the menus, Carlos and Alexis on one side of the booth and Rad and Lucas on the other.

"The meatlovers sounds good to me," said Alexis.

"I'm leaning more toward Hawaiian," Carlos admitted.

"I'll do either," said Rad. "Just make sure we get plenty of cheese fries."

Rad took a deep breath, sniffing the air. "Damnit," he groaned. "We'll be back," he said, grabbing Lucas's diaper bag from next to his feet. Standing, he lifted Lucas's carrier seat and headed for the restrooms. After an embarrassing conversation with the manager, he was allowed to use the changing table in the women's restroom, as the men's room didn't have one and he refused to lay Lucas down anywhere as unhygienic as the men's room floor.

By the time he got back to the booth, the appetizers were getting cold. "Mozzarella sticks?" he asked dubiously. Rad had never been fond of the stringy dish.

"Your fries'll come with the pizzas," Carlos promised.

Rad nodded and snagged one of the sticks out of hunger. He nibbled on the end, enjoying the breading's flavor. "What kinda pizza did you order?"

"Two mediums instead of a large, one meatlovers, one Hawaiian," said Alexis.

"Rock, papers, scissors was a draw," Carlos shrugged.

Rad snorted. Just like high school.

Moments passed in companionable silence, only broken by Lucas's occasional coos of contentment as he watched the waitresses moving back and forth. "He's pretty alert for a newborn," Alexis commented. "How old is he?"

"Five weeks," Carlos answered.

Rad frowned. He'd thought the baby wasn't due until last Friday. "He doesn't look premature."

"I don't think he is," Carlos replied.

Rad eyed the child again. Verda had gotten the conception date wrong by nearly a month. That meant she could have already been pregnant when she started the physical aspect of her affair with Jace. Rad put it from his mind. No use wondering about it until the results were in.

"So Rad, where are you working anyway?" Alexis asked.

"The Research Center. I'm working in their IT department with the Geographic Information Systems. You?"

"Independent computer company. I'm in management," Alexis replied.

"So you boss around the nerds?" Rad smiled.

"Not much has changed in that respect," said Alexis.

"Hey, we weren't nerds," Carlos protested.

"Sure you weren't," Alexis mock agreed.

"We weren't. We were rebels," Carlos insisted.

Alexis laughed. "Rebels, huh? Without a cause? Or just without sense?"

"Without something," Rad admitted.

"No kidding," said Alexis.

"_Hermaño_, you're supposed to be agreeing with me," Carlos groused.

"I call 'em how I see 'em, bro," Rad shrugged.

Lucas let out a whine and began to fidget. The baby scrunched up his face and began to wail.

"Not again," Carlos groaned.

"Is he hungry?" Alexis asked.

"I hope so, I just changed him," Rad grumbled. He lifted Lucas out of his carrier and cradled him in his arms. "Carlos, can you hand me a bottle?"

Carlos snatched a bottle out of the diaper bag and held it out. Rad and Alexis fixed him with matching stares. "What?"

"Boys," Alexis hissed, snatching the bottle from Carlos. She shook it and then squeezed the bottle liner to get the air out before handing the bottle to Rad. Rad took it and after minimal coaxing got Lucas to take the teat in his mouth.

Lucas continued to suckle on the bottle until the pizzas arrived. He began to fidget again and spat out the bottle allowing a good bit of formula to dribble down his chin. Making a guess, Rad pulled a dish rag out of the diaper bag and lay it over his shoulder. "Let's hope that he just needs to be burped."

"Hope that's all he does," Carlos muttered.

Rad grimaced but had to agree. He didn't want to end up covered in baby vomit before lunch. Besides, he'd already changed shirts once today since wandering around wearing a snot-covered shirt really hadn't appealed to him.

Gently laying Lucas against his chest, positioned so that any baby spittle should be caught by the dish rag, Rad began patting the baby's back. It took several minutes before Lucas gave a hearty belch accompanied by a warm sensation leaking through the rag on Rad's shoulder.

"Ew," Rad muttered.

"Could be worse," Alexis pointed out. "My cousin's baby got sick all over the font of my best work blouse."

"…Thanks, Alexis."

***

Red Alert was not pleased with his results.

Lucas was B positive.

While not confirming anything, it did not rule Rad out as a possible father to the child. He'd hoped to have more promising results for his young friend, but instead he was just adding more questions.

Sighing, Red Alert put his disappointment aside. He still had time to run a few web searches and hopefully find a credible DNA testing center or paternity lab for Rad to consult with.

***

"Are you sure it hasn't come in yet?" Rad asked the postmaster.

"Sorry, Bradley. If it's not in your P.O. Box then it didn't come in today," the postmaster, a middle aged woman with blonde hair, answered.

Rad sighed. "Could the carrier have taken it to Carlos's house by mistake?"

"Only if his address was on the package. Did you give your lawyer your P.O. Box number or Carlos's address," the Postmaster asked.

"I hope I gave them my P.O. Box number. I'll have to call and ask when I get home." Rad sighed. It was going to be one of those days. Maybe he could talk Sideswipe into swinging by Carlos's place on the way back to the base.

***

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Rad grumbled as they pulled up in front of Carlos's house.

A familiar red mustang was parked in the driveway. Leaning against it was a handsome Hispanic man. He wore a tight t-shirt, showing off his well muscled chest and arms, along with blue jeans that clung in the appropriate places to make a woman sit up and take notice. Clutched in his hand were a dozen pink roses, Verda's favorite.

"Who is that?" Alexis asked as they pulled to a stop. The hint of appreciation in her tone didn't escape Rad. "A cousin of yours, Carlos?"

"Not any that I know of," Carlos answered with a hint of trepidation. "Do you know him, Rad?"

Rad didn't answer, but threw the door open and climbed out of Sideswipe's back seat and stalked over to stand by Carlos's mailbox.

The other man tensed when he saw Rad, but as his gaze wandered over the other occupants of the car and didn't find the face he was looking for he relaxed. "What are you doing here?" the man demanded of Rad.

"Looking for my divorce papers. You?" Rad countered.

"Looking for the woman I love," the man answered.

"If you love her, Jace, why the hell did she show up here trying to get me back, swearing you two were through?" Rad asked.

"That is not my child," Jace said, nodding toward the car where Lucas was happily napping, as though that explained everything.

"You were sleeping with a married woman, Jace. You had to know that there was at least a fifty-fifty shot that the kid wasn't yours."

Jace flinched. "Verda said you weren't together often."

"We were sleeping together right up until she ran off with you," Rad told him bluntly.

"I love her," Jace said.

"That's your problem. In the meantime," Rad pulled a large yellow package from the mailbox, "I've got some paperwork to sign and have filed."

Rad turned and headed back toward Sideswipe. "Verda'll probably be back in a few hours," he called over his shoulder.

Sliding back into Sideswipe's back seat, Rad clutched the package like a life line. "Just drive please."

Sideswipe did.

AN: I'll be posting a cleaned up version of this story on my livejournal if anyone's interested. The link on my profile.


End file.
